5 Reasons You Probably Haven't Told Anyone About Steemit

Ever since posting more regularly and now that the price of Steem is rising as the community grows, I've been encouraging many of my friends and colleagues to join and explore the platform. As a creative professional, I'm certain that regular Steemit usage is not only financially beneficial for the average artist/designer/writer/actor, but also a productive way to develop ideas and receive feedback from a growing audience.

BUT

I'm starting to realize more and more that it isn't as easy as “just sign up and try!” to get new active users onto the the site. Many of us have used the platform for at least a number of months by now so the motions seem intuitive at this point, but in actuality the myriad of actions such as editing, linking, referencing, sharing, upvoting, following, creating a following, etc. is all-in-all very daunting for a newcomer.

The 'Welcome' and 'Steps for New Users' posts are very helpful, such as the ones by @voronoi here, @mammasitta here, and even in video form by @papapepper here. However, they don't encompasses some of the inherent challenges of growing on Steemit.

So I put some thought to it – Why is it difficult for 100% of new users to latch on and why am I personally a bit perplexed of how to bring more people on? Here are some points that have helped me clarify some of the intangible anxiety.

It's a challenge to fully endorse Steemit because...

1- Understanding Blockchain/Steemit/Bitcoin/STEEMvs.SBD requires a high learning curve

It's really easy to pitch “you blog and get paid” as the motto of Steemit. In truth, even getting to that point requires deep explanation of – what is blockchain? Where is the money coming from? How do I get paid?

• Source: Coindesk

Just like how you wouldn't accept candy from a stranger, you probably shouldn't take money without understanding how it was “made.” Explaining crypto and it's precise use on Steemit is difficult when done right.

2- It involves 'Money'

There's a reason you don't mix family or friendships with business and on Steemit, writing becomes somewhat just that. When anything involves money, it naturally breeds sentiments of jealousy and defensiveness. The fact that STEEM doesn't quite feel like a “real” currency takes away from these typical notions but nevertheless, incorporating a financial aspect creates reservations of shouting it out to the world.

3- You don't want to make false promises/pretenses

This is probably the biggest one for me. I can sing the praises of Steemit, it's community, and all the innovative and productive benefits of the website to the hilltops with great confidence, but I can never promise that the platform will be as useful to you as it is to me. I am always learning from my mistakes and grinding out content as I'm commitment to being an active member of the platform. But I can't promise anyone that same process will bring about any specific fulfillment.

Everyone who comes and grows on the platform has different goals. Many find it to be a creative outlet, some love the community, and a good subset of the website just wants to make a buck. These are all personal motivations and without a real “goal” to the website, I sometimes find it challenging to accurately propose what the website can do for a friend or family member.

4- The Future is Volatile/Uncertain

Remember when STEEM was worth 10 US cents? The conspiracies that @ned was going to run off with all the crypto and leave us bloggers in the cold? Steem-winter was not a happy time and it's easy to say that our optimism on this platform hinges heavily on the financial strength of the digital coin. I'll admit, I was grumpy when my earlier posts made <$1.

I've helped a number of people get on the platform now and I always hold my breath when they do their first “Introduceyourself” post. A part of me would feel so guilty if they didn't get at least some financial/upvote validation.

5- You Just Haven't Yet

Maybe you're still trying to figure out what blockchain and crypto are. Maybe you're new to the platform. Maybe you want STEEM to be a bit stronger. There are a lot of reasons why you may not have yet introduced people in your inner circles to the platform, and that's ok.

Asking someone to explore the world of Steemit is actually a risk – a risk that they'll find time spent here useful and fulfilling, which it very well may not be to many. From my perspective, as long as you're open and understanding of these risks, you'll have a better time at introducing your friends and family.

Take your time and get a good grasp on this ecosystem first. I'm constantly trying to improve my engagement here on the platform and with others about the website. I think if you try to simply pitch the platform as a money-maker, you're not quite doing the community justice. There is so much that this environment can offer and part of the daily process for Steemians is collectively discovering and building a robust future.

What do you think? Am I overthinking things? How you found personal difficulties bringing people on? Let me know below!

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